Aftershocks
by Iwritelikeaninja
Summary: A short story about Katniss and Peeta after the rebellion. ENJOY :D


**I just wanna say hi, this is my first story and i hope you like it. I don't own The Hunger Games, i wish i did but i don't so :(**

I can't help but think that every day I am spiraling deeper and deeper into my depression. Nights are the worst. At least in the day I can distract myself with medial tasks. The only time I find comfort is when I wake up after a nightmare and I find his strong arms wrapped around me and his soft voice telling me that it was all a dream. The Games changed me and they changed him too. But finding myself wrapped in his warmth, seems to make me feel better. I seem to think that there is no way to repay him for all that he has done for me. The bread, the safety and the comfort of his presence. I will never be able to express how much the boy with the bread means to me.

It had been three months since the war before I decided to let Peeta move in with me. He spent most of his nights here anyway, comforting me, waking me up from the nightmares that left the skin on the back of my throat red raw. I learned how much I truly loved him over the last few months and the thought of him not being there was awful in my mind. Even if he only lived two houses away. It had been a year after the war, when Peeta proposed to me. It was just the two of us in the house and Haymitch had gone to the Capitol for a week on some sort of buisness meeting. Probably just ordering more liqour though. We were sitting by the fire late one evening when Peeta had got down on his metal leg and asked me to marry him. It was a simple ring. A pearl in the middle with two small diamonds at the sides. The pearl reminded me of the one he had given me on the beach during The Quell. That was the day when I realised that I truely loved him. I remembered how much I had treasured that pearl when I was in District 13 and how much I hoped that he was still alive. I started to cry and through my sobs I managed the words, 'Yes Peeta, of course I will'. I leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss, my tears spilling down onto his face. We got married in a small ceremony month later. Just me, Peeta, Annie, little Finn, my mother, Haymitch and Effie. I wore a plain white dress and Peeta wore a white shirt and black trousers. Our wedding rings were two plain silver bands, Peeta's ring being thicker than mine. We signed the register at the town hall and went home. We had a small dinner and did the toasting. No cameras, no big fancy wedding cake and huge fancy banquet with dancing and I said simple. It was perfect. I felt complete.

There was no doubt in my mind that Peeta wanted children. I just didn't know how to tell him I didn't feel ready. I had always said I was never having children. It was different times, but I had prepared myself for it never happening. Peeta was patiant. He waited. He waited fourteen years for me to make up my mind. Another thing to add to the list of the things I will never stop owing him for. The day I told him that I wanted kids too, was the first day I saw my husband truly happy since our wedding day. His whole face lit up and he hugged me and kissed me. It happened sooner than expected. Almost unexpected. I woke up one morning with a sickly feeling in the back of my throat. Without hestating I threw off the covers and ran into the bathroom, making it to the toilet just on time. Peeta had woken up and saw the bathroom door open with me hunched over the toilet, bringing up my insides. He chuckled to himself and made his way into the bathroom and pulled my hair back from my face. 'All done?' he said. 'yes, I hope.' I walked out of the bathroom and crawled back into bed. After waking up a third time that same day and throwing up, I decided to go to the doctors. I came back and sat in the living room and stared at the fire for a Peeta came in from working at the bakery, he saw me sitting staring into the fire. 'Katniss? What's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost.' He came and sat down beside me and I started talking, still staring into the flickering fire. 'I threw up a couple more times today, so I went to the doctors.' I had started sobbing again and Peeta hugged me. 'What did the doctor say Katniss?'. 'I'm...I'm...' I blurted but I couldn't finish. Instead I took Peeta's hand and placed it on my stomach. He understood. 'That's fantastic Katniss! Isn't it?'. 'I didn't expect it to be this soon.' I whispered. He kissed me on the head and hugged me again. I fell asleep in his arms that night, but I woke up to hear him say 'goodnight you two'

I watched as my stomach grew over the next nine months and I watched Peeta paint the nursery a light yellow with gold mockingjays around the crib. After six hours of labour my daughter came into the world. She was the most beautiful thing in the world, she still is. We named her Aurelia Primrose Mellark. She was my double. Dark hair, olive skin. She was like me in everyway, apart from one thing. Her eyes. Her eyes were as blue as the sky. Identical to Peeta's eyes. She grew too fast. Her first day at school came and Peeta insisted that I do her hair in two braids. She ran off into the playground, her little lemon coloured skirt flapping behind her. We decided to have another. A boy. Aurelia was delighted. She always wanted a sibling and I knew she would be good to him. We named him Landon Cinnick Mellark. He had beautiful tufts of blonde curly hair, just like Peeta's. But he had inherited my grey eyes. His first day of school again came too quickly. Aurelia fussed over him, making sure he looked ok and promised to look after him. They walked into the playground hand in hand and I started to cry softly. Peeta put his arm around me. 'They'll be okay. Just watch.' I taught Aurelia how to hunt. Peeta taught Landon how to paint and he taught them both how to bake. My mother loved them to bits. She only see's them at birthday's and on Christmas and New Year, and she treasures the her time with them. I still get nightmares and Peeta still has his moments but we work through them. We are happy. It feels like the aftershocks of The Hunger Games has finally gone away.

**YAY! I hoped you liked it and if you could review it that would be nice too :D**


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